Don't Go
by Lareth
Summary: Harry is in love with Hermione but he knows she was feelings for Ron somehow. And when she needs his support most Harry has to decide whether he wants to be her friend or lover. [HHr]


"Congratulations, Ms. Granger!" complimented Dumbledore, shaking the your witch's hand firmly.  
  
Hermione Granger, a 17 year old witch, was about to burst out of happiness. After the Dark Lord's defeat a few months earlier both muggles and wizards started to living their lives normally again. But not without learning a very valuable lesson and making them pay more attention to the younger wizards and witches so they could avoid creating new little Voldemorts, though not turning them into impotent little Fudges.  
  
In the middle of that transition Hermione was lucky enough to get a "scholarship" for her last year. She was going to spend her 7th and final year in Beauxbatons.  
  
Even though she was extremely happy someone was not. In fact, that person was less than neutral and reserved when it came to Hermione's scholarship.  
  
"You can't go!" Ron protested, banging his bag on the old wooden table breaking it in two.  
  
"Harry, calm down!" Harry suggested, grabbing the friend's shoulders as if he was stopping him from attacking Hermione or the like. It was funny, though, to see someone being held back by someone so many times smaller than him.  
  
"It's not up to you to decide." Hermione pointed out, putting her hands around her waist.  
  
"Well, I'm your friend and I'm telling you not to. It's a very good advice! French wizards are weird and like to make revolutions. And that's just what they've been doing since Voldemort was defeated, revolutionizing our world! It's dangerous. Plus," he pointed a thin and long finger at her. "I know just how much you love that sort of stuff. You're gonna get in trouble and you might even get hurt!"  
  
Hermione took a deep breath to prevent herself from laughing. Then she shook her head and turned around to leave.  
  
"As much as I appreciate your friendship and concern, I'm not getting myself intro trouble. As I'm not stupid." She said and left toward the girl's dorm.  
  
Harry let go of Ron as he felt the friend's tension lessen. He sighed and made his way toward the boy's dorm without even acknowledging Harry's presence there.  
  
It was always like that. Ron and Hermione would fight and Harry would be left behind to get all sulky and depressed. Just like a little kid when his parents argued.  
  
"How can they argue so much? It's ridiculous." Harry muttered to himself as he curled up in an armchair by the fire. Taking his wand out of his pocked, Harry started to make little glowing lights that would fly around for a while and then disappear.  
  
Harry's growing depression wasn't at all about Ron and Hermione's constant arguing. He was now old enough and mature enough to not be taken down by insignificant matters as that. He was still a teenager, though, and his hormones were probably his worst and only weakness.  
  
He liked Hermione more than just as a friend. In fact, he loved her more than anything. She had been the one who stayed beside him all times, even when he was practically dead during his last encounter with the Dark Lord. Most of the times when he thought every hope was gone she would pull him back up and help him through. That sounded a bit too poetic, or even a tad cheesy to some. Nevertheless it was how Harry felt.  
  
Knowing that Hermione gave more attention to Ron was horrible to Harry. Even if she looked extremely mad he knew she, somehow, liked Ron. The idea of Ron and Hermione together as a couple was very possible in Harry's teenage mind and he did not like that at all.  
  
Before he could think of anything else depressing, Harry stretched his legs and closed his eyes slightly. He had to forget that and go to bed; it was past eleven o'clock. But before he could get to his feet and go to the boy's dorm he felt his body get heavy and he couldn't think properly. Before Harry could even notice he had fallen asleep.  
  
~*~  
  
Nearly an hour later Hermione walked down the stairs of the girl's dorm and headed toward the common room. She was carrying a book under her arm and was about to throw it on her favorite armchair when she noticed there was someone there already.  
  
Hermione approached and saw the one asleep in the armchair was Harry. She put her book on the coffee table beside the armchair and grabbed one of Harry's shoulders and shook him softly.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
She had to call his name only once, for he opened his eyes right away. Harry straightened himself up in the chair, pushing his bags away from his eyes and looked up to Hermione. His cheeks got a little red when he realized it was her standing in front of him.  
  
"Oh, 'Mione?" He asked with a sleepy voice. She nodded.  
  
"Yes, it's me. What are you doing here anyway, Harry?" Hermione asked, sitting in an armchair beside the one Harry was in.  
  
"I sit here after you and Ron were gone and I guess I fell asleep." He explained, waving his wand and making a glass of water appear in his hand.  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows and stared at him with a surprised look. Harry asked why lifting his shoulders and she giggled.  
  
"I never thought you would be using magic this much, Harry. When we first met you liked magic a lot but you still couldn't get rid of your muggle habits. Now just look at you! Getting your own water just by making magic." She said, smiling. Harry looked hurt so she quickly added: "It's not a bad thing! It's amazing. I don't do that and you know just how much magic I use. You are truly meant for the wizardry world, aren't you?"  
  
Harry waved his wand and his empty glass disappeared.  
  
"Hey, I might use more magic but I'm not the one who's gotten a scholarship, am I? I'm not going to live somewhere in France among some revolutionists, am I? I'm not so much into the magic world. Well, at least not more than you." Harry said, rolling his eyes. "And this isn't a bad thing either. I'd love to visit France and hear what those French wizards have to say but I can't."  
  
"Meeting revolutionists isn't such a big deal if I'm not important or significant to their group. You, on the other hand, have your name in thousands of books for beating the Dark Lord twice." Hermione smiled happily. "That is a thousand times better than a scholarship or anything."  
  
Harry sighed. That was just why he loved her. She was so nice to him and would never put him down for any reason. But she didn't show interest on him how she showed to Ron. Hermione would speak of him all the time if she could. Bad things, indeed, but she thought of him.  
  
If he never said anything she would never know about his feelings and she would never consider the idea of them as a couple either. If he could just tell her how he felt...  
  
"Ron's being so annoying." Hermione said suddenly. 'Oh, yes... Ron again.' Harry thought before responding with a little grunt.  
  
"He can't see I have to go! It's just so ridiculous. I don't want to go to France mad at him but I don't have time to convince him either!" and the whining when on and on. Though Harry heard it all patiently.  
  
Ideas popped in his head and he thought about telling some appalling things about Ron so she could get even angrier with him. But Harry was not like that and no such thing would come out of his mouth. So he just smiled.  
  
There was one thing he could do. One thing that would pay Hermione back for all the good things she had done to him and, at the same time, show just how much he cared about her. If she would see that as friendship or love didn't matter.  
  
"Hermione?" Harry interrupted. She stared at him silently. Harry put his hands on her shoulders. "Ron cares about you, explain him how much it matters to you this. Go to France. It's what you want to do. Go there and show just how much of a wonderful witch you are. Show them that Harry Potter's just a really lucky young man with too much of a good and supportive young woman beside him, the brain and heart behind all his greatest achievements."  
  
Hermione's eyes grew wider and filled with tears. She threw herself into Harry's arms and hugged him with all the strength her delicate female arms had.  
  
"Thank you Harry." She whispered in his ear. "You are a wonderful friend."  
  
Harry hugged and her back and seconds later she was running to the girl's dorm to pack and then get some sleep. Harry threw himself back into his armchair and smiled.  
  
"Friend..." He muttered. "Friend."  
  
Stubborn tears filled Harry's beautiful green eyes. He didn't cry, and he didn't feel sad either. He was happy because she was. And that was all that mattered.  
  
~*~*~*~ Hurrah! Angst! Romance! Fluff! And... stuff. ^-^ Fluffy H/Hr angst is always good, is it not? 


End file.
